1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an earphone for use with audio systems and communication systems and more particularly to an adjustable earphone for achieving stereo sound direction and effect with adjustment in three dimensions.
2. The Prior Art
There are many types of adjustable earphones already on the market. Nevertheless, two problems remain unsolved. The first problem results when a user of an earphone uses the earphone for too long a period of time. Such extended use creates in the user an uncomfortable feeling or possibly damages the user's hearing because the sound is directed continuously at and hits one point of the user's ear nerve, which causes exhaustion in the ear nerve. The second problem results when a user uses an earphone with a center speaker that does not fit his or her ear shape or ear tunnel. Again, such earphones creates in the user an uncomfortable feeling or possibly causes harm to the user's hearing.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,783,822 to Toole et al. discloses a multi-adjustable headband including earcups or earphone elements having speaker elements. When the headband is adjusted up or down, the earcup containing the ear speakers will be moved up and down also (in X axis direction, i.e. in one direction only). Adjustment or rotation of the ear speakers in three dimensions (3D) for the comfort of a user's hearing is neither disclosed nor contemplated.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,097,827 to Yang discloses an adjustable earphone with a microphone and a hook for mounting the earphone on a user's ear. The speaker of the earphone is mounted in a speaker chamber that connects to the hook by an outrigger. The user can slide the outrigger connected to the speaker chamber upwardly or downwardly in a tunnel of a housing along the tunnel. The user can also rotate the outrigger in the tunnel of the housing. Therefore, the speaker chamber can be moved up and down in one direction along an X axis and rotated 360 degrees along the X axis (Y axis level) or in X-Y two dimensions. This device, however, does not and cannot achieve adjustment of the speaker chamber for the user's hearing comfort in a third Z dimension or adjustment in three (3D) dimensions because of the way the tunnel is fixed.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,427,018 to Keliiliki discloses an adjustable earphone for personal audio and communication systems. The ear mounted earphone includes a speaker housing for positioning a speaker at the entrance to the auditory canal of an ear of a user. An elongate boom extends from the speaker housing so that the boom may be moved longitudinally and rotationally for adjustment purposes. As a result of that adjustment, the speaker can be moved up and down along the boom in one X axis direction and be rotated 360 degrees along the boom in Y axis level. This device, however, does not and cannot achieve the adjustment of the speaker for the user's hearing comfort in a third Z dimension or adjustment in three (3D) dimensions because of the way the boom is fixed.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,434,250 to Tsuhako discloses a stereo headset with angled speakers. The speaker units may be positioned at optimum angles of incidence and distances relative to the ears of a listener. Adjustable positioning means are provided to enable control over the horizontal spatial dimension of the stereo sound. The patent provides for the positioning of the speaker unit at a distance from the ears of a listener, and at an angle (best angle at 27 degrees) relative to an imagined vertical plane bisecting the head of a listener into symmetrical halves. The speakers have no sound conceal function and have only a one dimensional angle adjustment. Accordingly, this device does not and cannot achieve the adjustment of the speaker for the user's hearing comfort in a third Z dimension or adjustment in three (3D) dimensions because the adjustment angle is in only one dimension and the speaker is open for noise.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,369,952 to Rallison et al. discloses a head-mounted personal visual display apparatus with an image generator and a holder. With this device, when a user wishes to adjust the position of the earphone, the user rotates an earphone arm about an axis to adjust the vertical distance and slides the arm along an axis slot to adjust the horizontal or lateral location of the earphone. It is apparent that the device does not and cannot achieve the adjustment of the speaker for the user's hearing comfort in a third Z dimension or adjustment in three (3D) dimensions because the adjustment axis arm operates in one dimension only.
Bluetooth wireless earphones have been successfully received in the market for years. The bluetooth earphone is combined in an earphone unit with an ear clip. The earphone speaker of a bluetooth earphone is obviously not adjustable in three (3D) dimensions. Moreover, discomfort is experienced when the ear clip is too heavy or hangs too long on the bottom of the user's ear.
Another problem is that all old and current earphones are preset for sound direction and channel stereo effects and usually focus on the back head center of the earphone user. When an earphone user moves his head up or down, or turns his head left or right, the sound stereo effect from the earphone is always the same, which is not real time sound.
Generally speaking, with known earphones there is no way to adjust the earphone speaker in a 3D stereo sound direction and effect if a user feels uncomfortable. A user can move only the whole ear cup up/down or back/forth in one direction with no Z depth adjustment.
Therefore, in order to solve the foregoing problems and drawbacks, a need exists for an easily adjustable earphone that avoids sound hitting directly and continuously on one point of a user's ear nerve and that provides the most flexible adjustment of stereo sound direction and effect in three dimensions to minimize hearing damage and loss to an earphone user and maximize the stereo sound instantaneous real time effect experienced by the earphone user.